Grapple



Dec. 21, 1943. J. BRESLAV 2,337,176

GRAPPLIE V Filed June 25, 1942 V 2 Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR Jac/r Breslazr, BY QWW ATTORNEY Dec. 21, 1943. J. L V 2,337,176

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 21, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAPPLE Jack Breslav, New Haven, Conn.

Application June 25, 1942, Serial No. 448,398

7 Claims.

This invention relates to grapples and more particularly to improvements in grapples especially adapted to engage and lift a pile of sheet stock for transfer to another location.

In grapples of this nature there is generally provided a pair of opposed carrying bars, or angles, between which the pile of sheet stock extends with its opposite side edges resting upon said bars. These bars are usually arranged to be positively moved toward and away from each other to pass in under opposite edges of the material to be lifted by each being secured to the lower ends of one or more drop legs or carrying arms, each of which depends from the outer end of a horizontally disposed and slidably mounted beam, the beams being supported to be oppositely slid in an enclosing structure by means of a hand wheel or an electric motor acting thereon through a, pulley and suitable shafts and. gearing. As the load carrying bars, by means of the depending arms, are supported one on an outer end of each of the beams the load tends to tilt the inner end of the beams upwardly and the outer ends downwardly whereby considerable friction is caused at these points between the beams and the upper and lower surfaces respectively of the beam enclosing structure whereby the beams bind and are particularly difficult to move without the expenditure of excessive power.

In order to obviate these and other disadvantages it is proposed as one object of this invention to provide in a grapple of the above type anti-friction rollers at each end of the beams.

Another object is to provide in a grapple having oppositely movable beams enclosed in a common housing a pair of rollers at each end of the housing, one roller of each pair being adapted to support the outer end of one beam and the other to be engaged by the inner end of the other beams whereby the beams may be moved oppositely in the housing and not interfere with the required action of said rollers.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved form of grapple which will be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, readily manipulated, compact, and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, which will app-ear as the description proceeds, there have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings forms in which the features and principles of this invention may be conveniently embodied in practice, it being understood that various changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side view of a grapple in which the features and principles of this invention are embodied;

Figure 2 is an end view of the grapple shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the grapple taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional View of the grapple taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the grapple taken on theline 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 65 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to Figure 6 and taken on the line 1-T of Figure 8, but of somewhat modified form; and

Figure 8 is a crosssectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The stock lifting grapple, Figures 1 and 2, selected to illustrate the features and principles of this invention, is of the type fully shown and described in a Patent Number 1,807,124, issued to F. H. Meyer, May 26, 1931. Such a grapple generally includes a pair of stock supporting bars H and I2, each supported by pairs of drop legs l3 and l4, l5 and Hi respectively. The pair of drop legs l3 and I4, supporting the bar H, are secured to an outer end of cross-bars l1 and I8 respectively, and the pair of drop legs l5 and I8, supporting the bar 12, are secured to an outer end of cross-bars l9 and 2! respectively. The cross-bars I! and 59 are disposed between side beams or frames 22 and 23 of a common housing for these bars, and the crossbars I8 and 2| are disposed between beams or side frames 24 and 25 of a common housing for these bars. Each of the adjacent cross-bars H and I9 and I8 and 2! have rack teeth 26 and 21 provided thereon respectively which are adapted to mesh with a spur gear 28 disposed therebetween. Rotation of the gears 28 in one direction will cause the cross-bars l'l, i8, and l9, 2! to slide along and through the enclosing housing provided therefore in opposite directions whereby the stock supporting bars I I and 12 will be moved toward or away from each other to grip or release stock supported thereby.

The spur gears 28 are secured on vertical shafts 29, which, through bevel gears 3| and 32, may be rotated by a hand wheel 33 or by an electric motor, not shown, which could be belted to a pulley. The hand wheel or pulley 33 is secured on a shaft 34 to which the bevel gears 32 are secured. The beams, or side frames, 22 and 23 and the beams, or side frames 24 and 25 are secured, as by welding to spaced apart beams and 35 which are tied together by a beam 31. A loop 38 extends upwardly from the beam 31 and is adapted to be engaged by the usual hook, not shown, but depending from a crane, or like machine, whereby the grapple of this invention with the stock supported thereon may be lifted and transferred from place to place.

In respect to the grapple considered in its entirety, the beams, or side frames, 22, 23 and 24, 25 the beams 35, 35 and the beam 31 are stationary while the pair of cross-bars 11,, I9 and I8, 2| are movable and slide between the. respective pairs of side frames 22, 23 and 24, 25; As each pair of cross-bars and its guiding pair of side frames are the same in respect to the features and principles of this invention only one set thereof will be described in detail, to wit, crossbars I8, 2| and side frames 24, 25'. The side frames 24 and 25, in addition to being tied together by beingsecured to the beams 35, and 35, are also tied together by cross-straps 3 9: and 5| and a bracket 42 supporting the shaft 34. At each end of each of the side frames 24 and 25 shaft bearing plates 43, M and 45, 45 are provided each of which has a tongue 61, secured as by welding to an adjacent side frame, and upwardly and downwardly extending ears 48 and 49- respectively.

A shaft extends between the pair of ears 48 upwardly extending from the plates 43, 4d and a shaft 5| extends between the pair of ears 49 downwardly extending from the plates I15, 46. In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1-6 inclusive stepped faced rollers 52 and 53 are rotatably mounted on the upper shafts 5i] and a plain faced roller 55 is rotatably mounted on each of the lower shafts 5|. Theslidable crossbars l8 and 2| are provided with spacing plates 55 and 55 respectively which are welded to the undersurface of the cross-bars l8 and 2| adjacent their load carrying ends 5'l, 53. These space ing plates 55 and 55 are adapted to ride on the periphery of the plain faced rollers 56 adjacent the load carrying bars ends. The stepped faced rollers 52 and 53 are arranged on the shafts 5B in reverse position whereby the larger diameter portion 59 of each roller is positioned over the free ends 5| and 52 of the respective cross bars l8 and 2| and is engaged thereby.

By the provision of the above described structure the cross-bars iii and 2|, and likewise the cross-bars I! and |9, ride entirely upon the rollers during their movement in and out of the housings between the side frames 22 and 23, and 2d and 25, respectively, whereby no binding occurs and thus a minimum amount of poWeris expended to so move them. Due: tothe spacing plates 55 on the cross-bar i8, and H, which ride on the rollers 54 adjacent the load carrying ends 51 of the cross-bars l5 and II, the free ends 5| of the cross-bars 2! and i5, do not engage these roller to oa-usea drag thereon. Likewise due to the smaller diameter roller portions 63 of the rollers 52, 53 being clear from being. engaged by the load carrying ends 5?, 58 of the cross-bars l8, 2| and I1, is respectively, no drag is imposed on these rollers.

In the form shown in Figures 7 and 8 the spacing plates 55 and 56 are omitted and stepped faced rollers 1| and 72 are provided on the shafts 50a and 5 a respectively, the larger diameter portion 13 of the roller being disposed beneath and engaged by the undersurface of the crossbar l8, and II, at the load carrying end thereof, and the larger diameter portion 14 of the roller 12 being disposed beneath and engaged by the undersurface of the cross-bar 2|, and |9, at its load carrying end.

By the use of the above described structures particularly heavy loads may be gripped and carried by a grapple of this type without any binding of the parts whereby a minimum amount of power is required to operate the same. As the cross-bars carrying the load are supported upon rollers no appreciable wear is experienced whereby thelife of a grapple of this form is materially increased, repairs are out to a minimum, and the grapple will be particularly efficient and durable.

It will be understood that the novel features and principles of this invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential attributes thereof, and

it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respcts as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the claims rather. than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully disclosed the invention, what isclaimed as new and for which itis desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a grapple, cross-bars movable in opposite directions in the same plane, load carrying arms, the upper end of each arm being secured to an opposite end of each one of said cross-bars to be moved thereby toward and away from each other, means to move the cross-bars in opposite directions, a housing including side frames enclosing said cross-bars, a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to support the arm carrying end of each one of said crossbars, a roller extending between said side frames and disposed-to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of each one of said cross-bars, each of said cross-bars having a spacing plate secured thereto and disposed between said bar and the roller supporting the same.

2. In a grapple, cross-bars movable in opposite directions in the same plane, load carrying arms, the upper end of each arm being secured to an opposite end of each one of said cross-bars to be moved thereby toward and away from each other, means to movethe cross-bars in opposite directions, a housing including side frames enclosing said cross-bars, a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to support the arm carrying end of each one of said crossbars, and a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of each one of said cross-bars, the rollers engaged by the upper surface of the free end of each one of said cross-bars being stepped down to a smaller diameter at a portion above the upper surface gf the load carrying, end of the adjacent cross- 3. In a grapple, cross-bars movable in opposite directionsin the same plane, load carrying arms, the upper end of each arm being secured to an opposite end of each one of said cross-bars to be moved thereby towardand away from each other, means to move the cross-bars in opposite directions, a housing including side frames enclosing said cross-bars, a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to support the arm carrying end of each one of said cross-bars, and a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of each one of said crossbars, each of said cross-bars having a spacing plate secured thereto and disposed between said bar and the roller supporting the same, the rollers engaged by the upper surface of the free end of each one of said cross-bars, being stepped down to a smaller diameter at a portion above the upper surface of the load carrying end of the adjacent cross-bar.

4. In a grapple, cross-bars movable in opposite directions in the same plane, load carrying arms, the upper end of each arm being secured to an opposite end of each one of said cross-bars to be moved thereby toward and away from each other, means to move the cross-bars in opposite directions, a housing including side frames enclosing said cross-bars, a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to support the arms carrying end of each one of said cross-bars, and a roller extending between said side frames, and disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of each one of said crossbars, the rollers supporting the load carrying end of each one of said cross-bars, being stepped down to a smaller diameter at a portion below the free end of the adjacent cross-bar.

5. In a grapple, cross-bars movable in opposite directions in the same plane, load carrying arms, the upper end of each arm being secured to an opposite end of each one of said cross-bars to be moved thereby toward and away from each other, means to move the cross-bars in opposite directions, a housing including side frames enclosing said cross-bars, a roller extending between said side frames and disposed to support the arms carrying end of each one of said cross-bars, and a roller extending between said side frames and. disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of each one of said crossbars, the rollers supporting the load carrying end of each one of said cross-bars being stepped down to a smaller diameter at a portion below the free end of the adjacent cross-bar, the rollers engaged by the upper surface of the free end of each one of said cross-bars being stepped down to a smaller diameter at a portion above the upper surface of the load carrying end of the adjacent cross-bar.

6. In a grapple, first and second cross-bars movable in opposite directions in the same plane, a load carrying arm secured to an end of the first cross-bar, and a load carrying arm secured to the opposite end of the second cross-bar, whereby said arms will be moved toward and away from each other when the cross-bars are moved, means to move the cross-bars in opposite directions, a roller disposed to support the arm carrying end of the first cross-bar and extending beneath the other cross-bar but out of contact therewith, a roller disposed to support the arm carrying end of the second cross-bar and extending beneath the first cross-bar but out of contact therewith, a roller disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of the first cross-bar, and a roller disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of the second cross-bar.

7. In a grapple. first and second cross-bars movable in opposite directions in the same plane, a load carrying arm secured to an end of the first cross-bar and a load carrying arm secured to the opposite end of the second cross-bar, whereby said arms will be moved toward and away from each other when the cross-bars are moved, means to move the cross-bars in opposite directions, a roller disposed to support the arm carrying end of the first cross-bar and extending beneath the other cross-bar but out of contact therewith, a roller disposed to support the arm carrying end of the second cross-bar and extending beneath the first cross-bar but out of contact therewith, a roller disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of the first crossbar and extending over the second cross-bar but out of contact therewith, and a roller disposed to be engaged by the upper surface of the other and free end of the second cross-bar and extending over the first cross-bar but out of contact therewith.

JACK BRESLAV. 

